Newest Probie On The Block
by Penny Shepard
Summary: Penny Shepard is Jenny's younger sister, so what chaos awaits the teams newest probationer? Some subtle Jibbs moments coming up Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

The young woman sat outside the office, patiently waiting to be called through. She looked up at the director's PA and smiled politely before looking at her watch again for the fifth time in the space of a couple of minutes. Finally the door to the director's office opened, with Director Shepard standing in the doorway.

She wore a snappy pin-striped suit with a skirt, a salmon coloured shirt and neat high heels. Her short red hair, recently cut, was neatly arranged into a slightly spikey style. She collared the young woman inside her office and indicated for her to sit at the large table in the centre. An older man was already sitting at the table, with short peppered hair and wearing smart trousers, jumper and a jacket over the top.

'Penny this is Special Agent Gibbs, you will be joining his team and he will be your commanding agent.' Jenny introduced the new probationer.

'I'm pleased to meet you Sir.' Penny said as she held out her hand.

Gibbs smiled and shook the young woman's hand.

'She's a lot like you Jen.' Gibbs said to the director with a smirk.

'Hmm… well hopefully she'll have the same Shepard intelligence and wit.' Jenny replied.

'You think you can handle working under your sister?' Gibbs asked the young probationary agent.

'You kidding? I'm used to taking orders from Jen; she's just as bossy at home.' Penny replied as she referred to her older sister.

Penny Shepard, twenty-one, average height, slim build, shoulder length red hair, greatly intelligent with dry wit and razor sharp instincts. She had aced all of her exams to become an NCIS agent, and excelled in her training. She loved bright colours, favouring a bright, lime green coloured shirt, and black pants.

'You show great talent Special Agent Shepard, so let's see what you got.' Gibbs said as he got up and walked out of the door.

Penny looked confused at Jenny with a questioning expression.

'He expects you to follow him.' Jenny said with a smile.

'Nothing like hitting the ground running huh?' Penny replied. Her facial expression then changed as she looked after Gibbs. 'Paris?'

Jenny tilted her head in response and smiled coyly. Penny smirked back before heading out of the door in the direction Gibbs had disappeared.

'Right what've we got?' Gibbs asked as he rushed down the stairs to the pods where Tony, Ziva and McGee had been arguing about something. Penny closely followed behind.

'Well Boss the body of a marine has shown up in the middle of a school playground; shot three times, close range. So far there are no witnesses, but the area has been cordoned off, Ducky's already there.' Tony explained.

'Well what you waiting for? Let's go!' Gibbs replied as he grabbed his gun from his top drawer and walked quickly out the door. He stopped briefly and looked at Penny who was standing in the middle of the office looking confused. 'Shepard, with me.' He added before disappearing into the elevator.

Penny followed Gibbs, who was closely followed by DiNozzo, Ziva and McGee.

'Shepard?' Tony asked Ziva in hushed whispers as they walked quickly after Gibbs and the newbie.

'It's a common enough surname Tony, doesn't mean anything.' Ziva replied just as they reached the elevator.

The five agents all travelled down to their vehicles in silence. Tony's mind whirred as to the identity of the new, hot probie. Gibbs and Penny went in one car, with the other three in the second vehicle.

Arriving at the crime scene Ducky could be seen bent over the bloodied body of the dead marine.

'Ducky what you got?' Gibbs asked.

'Ah Jethro, it seems our young man has been dead for approximately five hours, putting his time of death at 3.00am. He's been shot three times, twice in the chest and once in the head. I can't tell you any more than that until I get him back to autopsy.' Ducky explained.

Penny began taking photographs of the body and anything else that she believed to be out of place or may prove to be useful. Ducky looked up at her inquisitively and then at Gibbs.

'Ducky this is Penny Shepard our new special agent.' Gibbs introduced the new colleagues. 'And yes DiNozzo, she is related to Director Shepard.' He added irritably.

'I'm her sister.' Penny explained with a coy smile.

'Ha see I told you Ziva.' Tony shouted triumphantly, pointing at Ziva, before receiving a well-deserved Gibbs-slap. 'Sorry boss.' He replied as he gingerly touched the back of his head.

Penny turned and began to search the parameter, following a trail of blood and coming across three bullet slugs. She placed a number card beside them and then took two or three photographs of them at several angles. The trail of blood continued past the slugs and under the yellow crime scene tape.

'What've you got Penny?' Gibbs said as he walked up behind her.

'Well we have three slugs over there and a trail of blood. Judging by the victims injuries I'm not sure that this can be his blood. I doubt the blood came from him because it appears to go away from his body, completely in the wrong direction. I think there might be another victim, or at least another injured party.' Penny explained as she assessed the situation.

'Good work.' Gibbs said as he walked back to the rest of the team to explain Penny's beliefs.

Penny continued to follow the trail of blood out of the school to the road side, where suddenly it stopped.

'Err…Special Agent Gibbs?' She shouted.

'What?' He replied irritably.

'Sir, the blood trail just stops here. I think whoever was shot got in to a vehicle.' She explained.

'It's Gibbs or boss, not sir.' He replied.

Penny numbered and photographed the blood drops just as she was joined by McGee.

'I'm McGee, err…Tim' McGee introduced himself.

'It's nice to meet you. Have the other two stopped gossiping about me yet?' She replied with a smile.

'Don't worry about Tony, he talks like an old woman sometimes but he's harmless. Although be prepared to be interrogated about what it's like to be the director's sister.' He joked.

'You not curious?' Penny asked mischievously as she swept the floor with her foot and scanned for any other evidence.

'Well, err…it's not really any of my business.' McGee said sheepishly.

Over by the body DiNozzo was still discussing their newest probationary agent.

'You think the director has brought her in to keep an eye on us?' He asked.

'I doubt it Tony.' Ziva replied.

'Yeah but it's a bit weird don't you think?' He added.

'No Tony it's not, she's here to do a job, just like you should be doing now.' Gibbs said as he walked back towards the rest of his team. 'Penny's found three slugs and a blood trail. We have a second injured party who may or may not have got into a vehicle willingly.' He added.

The team re-grouped whilst Ducky and Jimmy transported the dead marine in to the medical van.

'Have we got an ID on our vic yet Duck?' Gibbs asked.

'Not yet Jethro, but I'll send blood and samples to Abigail for DNA analysis when we get back to base.' Ducky replied as he climbed in to the van.

The team all went back to their own vehicles with Penny joining Gibbs once again. Gibbs couldn't believe how much like Jenny she was, from the same emerald green eyes to her nervous giggle. He knew that Penny and Jenny meant a lot to each other, particularly after Jen had talked about her baby sister incessantly whilst they were undercover.

'So what made you want to be an NCIS agent?' Gibbs asked her, breaking the silence.

'I always wanted to be a special agent like Jen. I've always looked up to her and I used to miss her dreadfully when she was away working undercover. When I was younger I said that I wanted to be an agent so I could spend more time with her. As I've got older that has remained my goal, but so that I could investigate crime, not so that I could spend more time with Jen. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to spend more time with her…but what I mean is…' Penny stammered slightly as the hole she dug for herself got bigger and bigger.

Gibbs smirked before putting the agent out of her misery.

'It's OK Penny, I got what you meant.' He said, hearing a sigh of relief from the young woman.

Both cars pulled in to the navy yard and the agents all rushed inside to begin their enquiries. Penny had her own desk next to McGee's. She felt all the nerves she had previously been experiencing melt away, realising that the team she had joined were alright.

The team worked endlessly making phone calls, using cell site analysis and other techniques to identify their marine officer but to no avail. Before they knew it, it was 1900 and they all felt tired and mentally drained.

'You should all go home, get some rest, and be back here for 0700 tomorrow morning.' Gibbs said as he referred to his tired team.

There was a chorus of 'night boss' as each team member made their way to the elevator. Penny moved up the stairs to Jenny's office instead, gently tapping the wooden door before entering.

Jenny looked tired as she sat behind her desk, her red, glitzy glasses resting neatly on her nose. She glanced up at the person who had just entered the room and smirked as the exhausted Penny made her way to the sofa and dropped dramatically on to the cool leather.

'Tough day?' Jenny asked, placing her glasses in front of her.

'No it's been great, I just wasn't ready for the mental fatigue.' Penny replied. 'Are you just about done?' She asked.

'Yeah, to hell with it! The rest of my reports can wait until the morning.' Jenny said as she stood up and turned off her lamp. 'How do you fancy Indian tonight? I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet!' She added as he younger sister dragged herself from her seat.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning saw Penny sat at the breakfast bar, her hair all tousled, no make-up and a large mug of tea in front of her. She and Jenny had talked until one o'clock in the morning, and now she was regretting it after only getting four hours sleep.

Jenny on the other hand was wide awake and as usual quite chirpy. Jenny was more of a morning person, unlike Penny, although it did not stop her craving caffeine.

'Good morning, did you sleep OK?' She asked as she entered the kitchen, to be greeted by a form of grunt.

Ever since Penny was about ten she'd never been a morning person, but that may have had something to do with the fact that she had never slept very well either.

'What've you got on today?' She asked sleepily as Jenny poured herself a hot, steaming mug of coffee.

'I'm probably going to be in MTAC all day…in fact I might not be home until late tonight, that is if I get home at all.' Jenny replied whilst rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her coffee.

Penny looked at Jenny with a slightly pained expression, with Jenny not knowing quite what to say.

'I hate being in this house on my own Jen, you know that.' She said with concern.

'I know, but I can't help it. But if it really bothers you that much you can sleep on the couch in my office, how does that sound?' Jenny replied as a way of compromise.

Penny gave it some thought before shrugging her shoulders as a form of agreement. She quickly finished her breakfast and ran upstairs to get ready.

At half past six Stanley arrived at the Georgetown apartment to collect Penny and the director to take them to NCIS. Penny grabbed her bag and joined her sister in the limousine, yawning loudly as she got in. Jenny giggled slightly before composing herself.

'Tired Penny?' She asked half rhetorically.

Penny didn't reply but responded with a slight glare.

It only took Stanley twenty minutes to get them to NCIS headquarters, giving plenty of time for Penny to go to Starbucks to get her favourite mint hot chocolate and Jen her vanilla latte. The two sisters went their separate ways, each woman on their own mission.

As Penny entered the coffee shop she saw a familiar grey haired figure already standing at the counter.

'Morning Boss.' She said quietly as she made her way to stand beside him.

'Morning Penny.' He replied curtly as the young man behind the counter handed him his signature cup of coffee, the thing that made him almost human in the mornings.

Gibbs waited for Penny as she ordered her drinks, and then interrupted her as she reached into her purse to pay.

'I'll get these.' He had said simply.

'Thanks.' She replied with a gratuitous smile.

Gibbs looked at Penny as she smiled and a memory of Jenny flashed into his mind when they were sat and a dinner table in Paris. Penny was the spitting image of Jenny when she was younger, the same smile, the same green eyes and she even had the same laugh.

'So how do you feel your first day went?' He asked the younger agent as they walked towards NCIS.

'Great, they seem like a really nice team.' She replied.

They chatted continuously, or rather Penny talked and Gibbs listened, until they reached the bullpen. At this point Gibbs went to his desk and Penny ran up the stairs towards MTAC where she found Jenny sat in one of the chairs in the front row. She was talking animatedly to someone on the phone and already sounded stressed. Not wanting to disturb her too much Penny handed her her coffee and began to head out. Jenny mouthed her words of thanks before Penny headed up the stairs.

By the time she reached the bullpen again the whole team were assembled around the large TV screen behind Gibbs' desk. She quietly joined them and listened intently to the conversation.

'OK so Abby managed to ID our vic as Petty Officer Marcus Dwight, married three kids and a fourth on the way apparently. He was wounded once with the first shot to the chest, and then fatally with the second shot. Ducky is sure the third shot to the head was made once he was on the ground.' Tony explained as he read from a file in his hand.

'Boss I've gone through his bank account and it would appear that he had two, one with his wife and then a second which he opened only in his name four months ago. Large amounts go in every week with a regular amount also coming out at the end of each month.' McGee added.

At that moment Gibbs' cell phone rang, it was Abby with some information.

'Abby wants us in the lab.' He explained and walked off towards the elevator.

'On your six Boss.' Tony shouted as the rest of the team quickly chased after him.

Gibbs brushed in to the lab as the rest of the team almost fell in behind him in their hurry.

'What've you got Abs?' He asked his favourite forensic scientist.

Penny looked at Abby in amazement, it had been the first time she had met the gothic scientist, and her slightly eccentric dress took her aback slightly; this was not due to bad reasons, Penny liked different styles since she favoured a slightly hippy style herself, it just had taken her by surprise, but she could tell they would get on well.

On seeing the newbie Abby immediately stopped her ten mile an hour speech about DNA molecules and the way to separate them from the smallest piece of specimen, and looked at her expectantly.

'Hi I'm Penny.' Penny said as she held out her hand.

Abby ignored the hand offered to her and went instantly for a death grip hug.

'I'm Abby, forensic specialist, ballistics genius and general caf-pow addict.' She explained whilst aiming the last point at Gibbs.

'Sorry Abs the machine was empty.' Gibbs replied.

'Rule number nine, always keep a spare.' She explained as she grabbed a caf-pow from her refrigerator.

'So what did you want to see us about Abs?' Gibbs said, drawing his team back to the case at hand.

'Well I was going over the Petty Officer's clothing when I found a single strand of blonde hair which I first thought was his wife's, but then I discovered she's a brunette. It also can't be his own because it's obviously far too long, so then I thought maybe it was one of his childrens' but I was wrong with that though as well.' Abby explained enthusiastically.

'Abs!' Gibbs said firmly, indicating impatiently that he wanted her to get to the point.

'I ran the DNA and got a hit, it's from a woman named Rosemary Turner and she has previous too Gibbs. Shoplifting, assault, assault with a weapon…she is not a woman I would want to cross in a hurry, but her last conviction was like in 2003.' She exclaimed finally and triumphantly.

'Good work Abs.' Gibbs said as he lightly kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the lab towards the elevator.

The team followed Gibbs back out in to the bullpen where he grabbed his gear.

'Penny I want you to come with me to speak to Rosemary Turner. McGee…' Gibbs began to say before being interrupted.

'I'll continue investigating his bank account and his phone records looking for any further links to Turner.' McGee replied nervously.

'Tony…' Gibbs then looked at DiNozzo who also interrupted him.

'I'll take Ziva and we'll go back to the scene, do some door to door enquiries to see if anyone saw or heard anything before checking out nearby CCTV for an ID on the other vehicle.' He stated as both he and Ziva grabbed their guns and badges.

Satisfied with their answers Gibbs walked briskly to the elevator with Penny on his heels. They got in to one of the agency vehicles and drove out of the naval base and towards Rosemary Turner's address.

'What if he was having an affair?' Penny stated after a few minutes of silence whilst they were stuck in early morning rush hour traffic.

'What makes you think that?' Gibbs asked curiously, if not a little impatiently.

'Well he and his wife have been married for twelve years and together for nearly fifteen; for eleven of those years they have had a joint bank account according to the information McGee found. So why all of a sudden would he open up a separate account?' She asked more to herself rather than to Gibbs. 'Maybe he was being blackmailed? She added as an afterthought.

The car became silent when Penny realised that Gibbs wasn't going to answer. Jenny hadn't been wrong when she said he was the strong silent type.

After being stuck in the car for over an hour, on a journey which should have only taken forty minutes, Gibbs and Penny finally got to their destination in a quiet suburb. The houses were clean and neat, with small front yards and a private drive way into a garage. This wasn't what Penny had been expecting for someone with Turner's background.

Gibbs marched up to the door and knocked loudly on the cream coloured wood. After a few minutes of silence he tried again, still with no answer. On hearing something smash from inside both agents grabbed their side-arms from their holsters and held them in the air. Penny signalled to Gibbs that she was going to go round the back; he nodded and waited a few minutes before kicking the front door. With the weight of his foot the door splintered and buckled with a loud crack. Both agents ran in shouting their form of 'greeting'.

'Federal Agents no body move!' They both shouted but suddenly stopped when they saw the body of a blonde haired woman slumped on the floor, badly beaten and bleeding heavily from a large cut on her forehead.

As Gibbs knelt down to check for a pulse and call an ambulance, Penny went to investigate a sound of whimpering she heard from behind the couch. On peering behind she found a distressed little girl, aged no more than one, curled in a ball with a few cuts from the glass that surrounded her. Penny hadn't noticed at first just how trashed the room was until she peered round at Gibbs. She lifted the little girl up and bounced her up and down in an attempt to quieten her. This began to work as she felt the little girl relax in to her more and her sobs becoming less distressed.

'Gibbs?' Penny asked quietly.

'She's got a pulse but it's weak, ambulance should be here any time soon though.' He explained as he looked at the small child in Penny's arms. 'Who's the kid?' He added.

'I think this little one was what caused the glass to smash.' Penny explained quietly just as the ambulance crew arrived.

They tended to Rosemary's initial injuries before transferring her on to a gurney and wheeling her in to the ambulance. Penny followed her with her daughter, who had now settled in her arms and had fallen asleep.

Gibbs had called the rest of the team to the scene to help process the evidence to take to Abby before heading to the hospital an hour later.

'So what do you think of Penny?' Ziva asked as she photographed a blood stain.

'She seems really nice.' McGee replied, also photographing evidence.

'Yeah, she knows a thing or two about films as well.' Tony added with delight.

At the hospital Gibbs escorted Penny to the car as she carried the little girl, who had been identified as ten month old Lily, out of the hospital. The doctors had agreed to release Lily into Gibbs' and Penny's custody since she didn't have any serious injuries and didn't warrant her staying in hospital.

Penny sat in the back of the vehicle softly stroking the little girl and making shushing noises, this comforted the girl who now had a pacifier in her mouth.

Gibbs pulled the vehicle into the navy yard and helped Penny out before relocating it to the rear of the building. Penny left Gibbs as he went down to autopsy to speak to Ducky; she walked straight up the stairs to Jenny's office and knocked lightly on the door. Jenny glanced up with surprise, not used to her door receiving such treatment. On seeing Penny with a baby in her arms Jenny looked at her inquisitively.

'Who's this little one?' She asked as she took her glasses off and walked round her desk. She smiled at the young infant and tickled her cheek. Lily gurgled happily at the redhead now paying her attention.

Penny passed Lily to Jenny, grateful to get the feeling back in her arms.

'This is Lily Turner; she's the daughter of Rosemary Turner…' But she stopped abruptly as Gibbs walked in to the office.

Gibbs smirked lightly at the sight of Jenny with the baby. She appeared very maternal and responsive to the baby, and it was a side of Jen that he hadn't previously seen, but it was a side he liked.

'Suits you Jen.' He said as he approached the two women.

Jenny didn't reply but she looked slightly awkwardly into Gibbs' blue eyes.

'I think you both need to update me on this case, don't you?' She stated as she referred to the baby still held tightly in her arms.

Gibbs and Penny took a seat on the couch in the corner of Jenny's spacious office, launching in to their explanation of the case in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony threw down his rucksack and NCIS cap as he marched over to his desk as the team entered the bullpen. Ziva shot him a glare as she stormed over to her own desk, the annoyance visible on her face. McGee decided to cautiously walk over to his desk and hoped the other two wouldn't say anything to him again.

McGee began transferring files from Rosemary Turner's hard drive on to his own computer, barely listening to the bickering of the other two agents and only occasionally hearing individual words or phrases.

'You see the little shiny things that are around the car, one on the inside and two outside on the doors? They're called mirrors Zee-vah, you're supposed to use them…' Tony said as he stressed Ziva's name.

'Well Tony if you didn't have your big head in the way I would have seen the trash can.' McGee heard Ziva reply.

At that moment he was glad to see Penny appearing from the elevator. She looked at the squabbling pair and then at McGee.

'What are they arguing about?' She asked him in a whisper.

'The usual…Ziva's driving. She put the car in to reverse, ran in to a trash can, a mail box and a kids bicycle.' He explained to her in hushed undertones. 'Where's Gibbs?' He asked as he looked round for their boss.

'He's up with Je…I mean Director Shepard.' Penny explained. It felt alien for her to refer to Jenny as Director Shepard, but they had both agreed to keep things professional whilst at work unless they were alone.

Ziva and Tony's arguing died down as each agent agreed to disagree, but each would occasionally throw the other a glare over their computer screens. McGee began working through Rosemary Turner's computer files with Penny occasionally chipping in helpful ideas.

McGee was impressed with her knowledge of computer systems and couldn't help but think she was more than just a pretty face.

As the team worked endlessly on the case down in the bullpen, Gibbs and Jenny sat in her office with Lily. They were glad of the opportunity to just sit and talk with each other, which was something they hadn't really had time to do since Jenny became director a few short months previously.

Lily had become restless and had begun to cry whilst in Jenny's arms, so she carefully stood up from the couch and paced around the office whilst bouncing the baby up and down. Gibbs smirked slightly at the sight before him, which hadn't been missed by Jenny.

'What?' She asked curiously.

'Nothing.' He replied, feigning innocence which didn't wash with her.

'Nu uh, there's something. What you thinking about?' She pressed.

Gibbs sighed slightly before smirking again and attempting to explain what he was thinking.

'Well you've commented before about me being good with kids, yet you look pretty damn amazing yourself Jen. You never considered it?' He asked earnestly.

A small smirk began to play on Jenny's lips as she fought back the temptation to reveal her real thoughts on the matter. Deep down she would love to have children, but there's only one man she would ever want to have them with.

'Is that an offer Jethro?' She replied, repeating what he had said to her a few weeks previously when she had made a similar comment.

Both Gibbs and Jenny laughed nervously, each feeling deadly serious about what they were discussing but trying desperately to shrug it off as a mere joke. Jenny decided to open up a little to the man who, deep down, she knew she loved.

'I've always loved kids, ever since Penny was born. I looked after her a bit when she was a child and always liked the idea of having my own someday, but then work got in the way and I decided to follow a career path instead.' She explained with a slightly pained expression.

Gibbs decided to change the conversation slightly, noting the pained expression on her face.

'Remind me, how old were you when Penny was born?' He asked simply.

'Seventeen.' Jenny replied.

Gibbs noticed something in her eyes that he couldn't quite place when she spoke to him, but it wasn't the same pained expression she had previously worn; no this time it was different, he just wasn't sure what it was.

At that moment a knock came to the door bringing both agent and director back to reality.

'Come in!' Jenny called to whoever was waiting on the other side.

Ziva walked in whilst attaching her gun to her belt.

'Gibbs, Director…Ms Turner has regained consciousness. Doctor's said that we can go speak to her if we wish.' She explained quickly.

Gibbs went to stand up to join his agent but suddenly looked at Jenny who was still holding the baby.

'It's OK, I'll look after her Jethro.' Jenny said with a small smile.

Gibbs didn't argue but quickly disappeared out of the office with Ziva hot on his heels. They quickly got in to one of the cars parked in the navy yard, and drove the five miles to the hospital.

On arrival they discovered Penny was already there waiting for them, and Gibbs noticed she was speaking flirtatiously with a young doctor.

'Shepard!' He barked as he approached her, a small smile threatening to crease his face.

'Yes Boss?' She asked with innocence as she quickly approached Gibbs and Ziva.

'Have you spoken to Turner yet?' He asked.

'Not properly. She asked where her daughter was and I informed her that she is at NCIS.' She explained.

'OK, well you can come and take notes.' Gibbs said as he walked in to the private room where Rosemary Turner was sat up in the hospital bed.

Her face was swollen and badly bruised and she couldn't open one eye. Her left arm was in a sling and her other arm covered in defensive wounds.

Gibbs pulled up a chair and sat next to her, carefully running his eyes over her wounds.

'I'm Special Agent Gibbs and this is Special Agent Shepard.' He said as he introduced himself and Penny. 'Do you feel up to talking?'

Rosemary nodded her head, looking tired and weak but determined to speak to the agents.

'Are you able to tell us what happened?' Gibbs inquired.

'I was in the kitchen making Lily her breakfast when there was a knock on the door. When I went to answer it there was a man standing on the doorstep with a bat. He pushed me aside and started shouting at me; when I didn't answer him he started hitting me and…' Rosemary had to break off as she began to cry.

Gibbs waited a few moments for the young woman to compose herself before continuing his questions.

'I know this must be difficult, but do you think you can continue?' He asked.

Turner's sobs quietened and she wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her hospital gown.

'What was the man shouting at you?' Gibbs began questioning again.

'He kept saying something about how I had no right to be with Marc.' She replied earnestly.

'Would that be Marcus Dwight?' Gibbs said as he glanced over at Penny.

'Yeah, how do you know his name? Is he OK? Can I see him?' Turner asked in a barrage of frantic questions.

Gibbs was silent for a few moments before he answered; this was the one thing he hated about his job.

'I'm very sorry mam, but Marcus's body was found yesterday morning.' He said simply to be met with the distressed cries of the woman in front of him. He glanced up at Penny as a sign he wanted some assistance comforting the young woman.

Penny sat down on the edge of the bed and took hold of her hand in both of hers.

'I know this is really hard Rosemary, but it will get easier I promise.' She said soothingly.

Rosemary looked up through her tears before she replied.

'You've lost people you loved?' She asked, with a slightly sceptic tone to her voice, believing the young agent was just trying to say things to make her feel better.

'Yeah I have, my father died when I was just ten years old, and my boyfriend was killed in Bagdad last year. So I know what you're going through just now, but believe me it does get easier, even if it doesn't ever go away.' Penny explained solemnly.

After a couple more questions Gibbs and Penny said goodbye to Rosemary to let her get some rest, and made their way back to the car. Tony had already come to collect Ziva to deal with something new at the school.

'I'm sorry for your loss Penny, I never knew about your father or boyfriend.' Gibbs said, knowing full well what it felt like to lose people you loved.

'Thanks, but did Jen never tell you about our dad?' She asked.

'No she never did.' Gibbs replied, hoping the young agent may open up more than her older sister ever did.

'I never found out why he did it, but one night he put me to bed like always, kissed me on the forehead and told me he would always love me. Then a little while later just as I was about to go to sleep I heard this really loud bang. I ran down the stairs towards the study, Jen hot on my heels trying to stop me, but it was too late; my dad had shot himself and…well let's put it this way, that night has left me terrified to go in the study ever since. In fact, I don't even like being in that house on my own at all. Jen's spent the last twelve years trying to persuade me to go in to the study or to stay in the house on my own but…' Penny explained with a slight shrug.

I'm sorry Penny I never realised. Jen never talked about home or family very much. Except for you, she always used to talk about you. In fact she used to drive me crazy going round the shops looking for…' Gibbs explained fondly before being interrupted by Penny.

'Snow globes.' She said with a smile. 'Jen bought me my first one when I was born and always promised she would bring me back a globe every time she went away. I think it was a form of bribery really because I used to cry the house down whenever she went anywhere.' She recalled.

As the two agents got in to the car in the parking lot Gibbs made a mental note to himself. Although Penny was a lot like Jen in many ways, she was also very different but there was obviously a very special bond between the two sisters that nothing was ever going to come between, and maybe something no one would ever understand.


	4. Chapter 4

Late that same evening the team were sat sleepily at their desks trying to make some sense of the case before them.

'What if Dwight's wife found out about the affair? Would give her a strong motive for murder.' Penny said with an exhausted, dry voice.

'Yeah but we already checked, she's been in Montreal for the last two weeks.' Tony replied, sounding as equally tired.

'That doesn't mean she isn't involved though; I mean she could have hired someone to do it.' Penny said with her eyes closed as she rested her head back against her chair.

Gibbs came round the corner in to the bullpen from the elevator. He looked at his team who had almost fallen asleep. He smiled slightly as he took a sip from his coffee.

'Guys, go home and get some sleep; case will still be here in the morning.' He said as he made his way behind is own desk.

Tony, Ziva and McGee all made their way home, leaving Penny and Gibbs at their desks. Gibbs looked up from his paper work over the rim of his glasses.

'You not going home Penny?' He asked her as she laid with her feet against her desk and her head against her chair.

'Nope, gotta wait for Jen. Like I said earlier, I don't like being in the house on my own so I have to wait for her; even if it takes all night.' She said with a tired smile, not even opening her eyes.

Gibbs didn't reply but looked at the tired agent as she rested before turning back to his paper work. His head shot up slightly as Penny had quickly sat up from her seat and ran down towards the elevator.

She rode it down to Abby's lab and was pleased to see the young goth still there.

'Thank God you're still here Abby.' Penny said slightly out of breath.

'Yup still present and correct.' Abby replied cheerfully, sounding more awake than Penny felt.

'I had a thought about the slugs we found, and wondered if you had finger printed them?' Penny explained excitedly.

'Actually no I hadn't. Why didn't I think of that?' Abby replied, the disappointment evident in her voice.

Penny decided to stay with Abby for a while to occupy herself. She would go to Jen's office in a while.

'You not going home Penny?' Abby said as she dusted each bullet casing for prints.

'No, I'm waiting for Director Shepard so I said I'd wait here.' Penny replied casually.

'Why would you need to wait for the director?' Abby asked with a confused expression.

'You didn't know Jenny and I are sisters then huh?' Penny said as she realised why Abby looked so confused.

'Ah no I didn't know that, but I do now. So what's it like being related to the director of NCIS? And in particular the first female director of NCIS. Also what's she like at home?' Abby rattled off a list of questions.

Penny gave a small laugh before answering.

'Director Shepard and Jenny Shepard, my big sis, are two very different people; or at least Jen tries to be two different people.' Penny laughed dryly. 'It's great to have her back home. She spent most of my childhood here, there and everywhere else. At least I will now get to spend more time with her.' Penny replied happily. 'But just so you know, I don't get any special treatment.' She added.

Abby laughed nervously, not entirely sure what to say. She could tell that she liked Penny and that they would get on well.

Penny watched Abby as she moved around the lab, dusting and removing prints from the slugs. Her face contorted in thought as she listened to the music playing.

'Is this Brain Matter you're listening to?' She asked as she finally thought she recognised the songs playing.

'Oh my God, how do you know that?' Abby asked excitedly.

'Well my boyfriend's brother is in a band called Eastroad, and they have played at a few festivals and gigs and stuff. I've been to a few and Brain Matter just happened to play at one or two of them.' Penny explained.

'Cool, good to hear you've got great taste in music.' Abby said whilst running the prints through AFIS. 'This is going to take a while to get a hit; you should go home.' Abby suggested as she grabbed a sleeping bag and placed it on the floor.

'Yeah, I'll maybe go and find Jen and see where she's at.' Penny replied as she headed back to the elevator.

She made her way to MTAC to see if Jenny was still there. She hoped and prayed she would be almost ready to go home, but had a feeling she was probably wrong. Just as she was about to enter MTAC the door opened, with Jenny exiting through it.

'Oh, hello I was just coming to find you.' Penny said happily. 'Does this mean we're going home?' She added hopefully.

'No I'm afraid not; I still have some paper work to do.' Jenny replied regrettably as she led Penny to her office.

On entering the office Penny sat at the conference table and turned up the sound on the TV before flicking through the channels. Jenny sat behind her own desk and grabbed the first file on top of the ever increasing pile of files in her in tray.

Within ten minutes the office door burst open, and in strolled Gibbs carrying a large white paper bag. Both Penny and Jenny watched him as he walked over to the sofas and the coffee table, placed three plates on the table and several metal containers. The smell of Indian curry soon filled the room and Gibbs looked up expectantly at the two woman sat staring at him.

'Are you two gonna join me?' He said.

'And what exactly is this in aid of Jethro?' Jenny said as she made her way to the small black leathered seat. As she sat she took off her high heeled shoes and sighed with relief.

'What? I'm staying late to work on reports, and you've been up in MTAC all day so won't have eaten properly…' Gibbs explained before being interrupted.

'Nice to see you looking after my welfare.' Jenny said with a small smile.

Gibbs also smirked slightly before replying.

'I'm not; poor Penny's been stuck here without anything to eat, and you won't be done here for a while.' He replied, trying to play the innocent.

Both Gibbs and Jenny looked at each other and laughed. Penny rolled her eyes at the pair. She knew about their relationship in Paris, but she didn't realise that they were still in love. Although they didn't verbalise it to each other, or anyone else, Penny could see the tension in their body language and in the way they looked at each other.

The three of them sat talking for a long while about their day. There was something strangely familiar and relaxing about the three of them being together. All through the dinner Jenny kept glancing at Gibbs, which he was completely oblivious to, but had not gone missed by Penny. Finally she glanced at Penny and subtly tilted her head, indicating that she wanted to be left alone for a few minutes.

'If you excuse me for a few moments I'm just going to use the restroom.' She said as she got up from her position on the floor and walked towards the director's bathroom.

'Thanks for this Jethro; it was just what I needed.' She said in gratitude. 'I can't remember the last time we did this; you know just sit and talk.' She added.

'I think you'll find the last time was in Paris in that little restaurant by the Eiffel Tower.' He replied as he looked in to her eyes.

Penny stood at the door of the bathroom straining to hear the conversation going on between them. She hoped they would give in to their tension for each other and allow themselves to fall in love; but to her dismay she heard Gibbs say goodbye and close the office door as he left.

'Damn it!' Penny whispered under her breath. She quickly exited the bathroom to find Jenny looking out of the large window behind her desk.

Jenny watched as Gibbs walked in to the navy yard from NCIS. Her heart ached a little as she watched him. She had hoped something might happen between them, but Jethro was holding back and she was unsure why. Maybe nothing was ever going to happen between them again, but she hated the tension between them.

'You alright Jen?' Penny asked as she walked up behind her sister and placed her chin on Jenny's right shoulder.

Jenny smiled and rested her head against Penny's.

'Yeah I'm alright, just a little tired I guess.' She replied as she turned and walked back to her desk.

'Can we go home now?' Penny asked.

'Sorry to disappoint, but I really need to get this done.' Jenny replied sounding as equally disappointed as Penny looked.

'It's OK.' Penny said as she made her way to the sofa to lie down.

Jenny smiled and turned back to the file in front of her, occasionally typing away on her computer. When she looked up she saw Penny was already hard and fast asleep. She walked over to her sleeping form and pulled the throw from the back of the sofa and threw it over her. She placed a kiss on her forehead before going back to her desk.

Jenny worked late in to the night as the rain slowly began to fall outside. She felt her eyes becoming heavier and she finally gave in as sleep over took her.


	5. Chapter 5

Penny crept in to the office holding two paper cups of coffee. She looked at Jenny who was still fast asleep in her chair at her desk. She placed one of the cups on the desk and gently shook Jenny awake.

Jenny looked blearily at the form in front of her and began to wake once she smelled the sweet smelling caffeine. Rubbing her eyes she sat up straight in her chair and took a sip from her coffee. She relaxed back in to her chair as she allowed the warm liquid to slide down her throat. Penny settled on the edge of the desk.

'Hey what happened to Lily?' Penny asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

'Social services took her last night. As much as I hated to do it, I had to sign her over.' Jenny replied regretfully.

'Shame we didn't go home last night, could've taken her with us. Can't remember the last time we had a baby in the house.' Penny said cheekily with a small grin on her face. Jenny chose not to reply, but gave a half glare with a half smirk.

Penny turned her attention to the TV whilst Jenny placed her glasses on her nose and began to read the Stars and Stripes.

At seven o'clock Penny went down to the bullpen to be greeted by McGee.

'Good morning Penny.' He said cheerfully.

'Morning McGee.' She replied, rather less cheerfully although still very pleasant.

Penny sat herself at her desk, switched on her computer and waited for it to boot up, just as Abby came bursting through the elevator.

'Guys, guys, guys!' She said excitedly as she flailed her arms in the air. Penny and McGee looked at her expectantly. 'You were right Penny I was able to get a hit from the slug casings.' She explained.

'So who was it Abs?' McGee said impatiently.

'Gareth Brooks.' Abby replied sounding like a giddy child.

'Brooks? Wait wasn't that Dwight's wife's maiden name?' Penny exclaimed.

'What you shouting about Penny?' Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen with his signature cup of coffee.

'We may have found a link to Dwight's wife.' She explained excitedly.

Gibbs looked at her impatiently and expectantly for an answer.

'Well Penny? What's the link?' He asked.

'Abby ran prints from the slugs we found at the scene, and they match a Gareth Brooks. Well Sam Dwight's maiden name was Brooks.' She explained.

'Good work.' He said as he grabbed his gun and badge from his top drawer, just as Tony and Ziva walked in. 'Gear up.' He added as he headed towards the elevator.

Looking confused at Penny, McGee and Abby the other two agents turned on their heels and followed Gibbs out of the building.

'Where we going boss?' Tony asked, taking a bite out of the large bacon, sausage and egg roll he had been holding in his hand.

'You and Ziva are going to pick up Gareth Brooks DiNozzo. The rest of us are going to speak to Sam Dwight.' Gibbs explained as he gave Tony a disapproving glare.

Within the hour Tony and Ziva had arrested Gareth Brooks on suspicion of murder, and Gibbs, McGee and Penny were bringing in Sam Dwight who had just arrived home from Montreal. They hadn't read Sam her rights yet, Gibbs had invited her to NCIS to help with their enquiries, but he had every intention of arresting her.

The two suspects were placed in interrogation rooms one and two and were left waiting. The team gathered in the observation room and discussed the case. They were expecting Gibbs to march into the interrogation room at any point, and all jumped when he came bursting into the observation room.

'What is up with you all?' Gibbs asked rhetorically.

He looked at Penny and handed her a file and looked at her expectantly.

'You proved in training that you have great interrogation skills, so I want to see what you've got.' He explained, much to the surprise of the team.

Gibbs never usually warmed so quickly to newbies; in fact he usually saw them more as a hindrance, so to offer one the opportunity to interrogate a suspect came as a massive surprise.

Penny silently left the room and entered the interrogation room and sat in front of Gareth Brooks. She sat silently for a couple of minutes, flicking through the file and occasionally looking up at the man in front of her.

'Interesting technique.' Tony said.

'She's trying to unnerve him.' Ziva replied.

'Really? Because I'm not sure someone like Brooks could be unnerved, and I don't think Penny comes across as the intimidating type.' Tony explained as a sharp slap hit the back of his head.

'Trust me DiNozzo, the Shepard form of interrogation usually works, and Penny's had years of influence with Jenny. It's the same technique she used to use.' Gibbs explained as he watched the newest agent begin her interrogation.

'You know why you're here.' She stated simply.

'I'm sorry to disappoint miss, but I don't have a clue what you're talking about.' Brooks replied.

Gareth Brooks was a well-built muscular man in his mid to late thirties. He had a military style haircut, deep brown eyes and was slightly tanned. He adjusted his posture in the seat to make himself seem intimidating, but Penny didn't seem fazed.

'Do you know Petty Officer Marcus Dwight?' She continued.

'He's my sister's husband. Why? He hasn't got himself in trouble has he?' He replied sounding a little unnerved.

'Well you could say that; he's dead. But then you already know that don't you?' She asked, choosing to use a blunt approach.

'I honestly don't know what you're talking about miss. I didn't know he was murdered until you said it just then.' Brooks replied defensively.

'OK, so when was the last time you saw your brother-in-law then?' She asked.

'A week last Tuesday. We met at the local bar for a few drinks.' He explained.

'And where were you on Sunday between 10.00pm and 4.00am?' Penny's tone had changed to sound more inquisitive than accusative.

'Asleep, and alone before you ask.' Brooks added quickly.

'Well then, we have a problem don't we?' Penny said with a small smile and leant back against the chair.

'I told you that I didn't know he was dead until you told me.' Brooks replied defensively again.

'Actually I told you he was dead, but you said murdered Mr Brooks.' Penny said finally.

Brooks sat silently for a few seconds thinking over his options before leaning forward in his chair and resting his hands on the table.

'I think I want my lawyer now.' He said quickly.

'Probably a wise idea, but just so you know, our forensic scientist is running your DNA and finger prints through our system as we speak, and she'll be getting her results any time now I think. What are the chances that the results are going to match the DNA and prints found at the scene?' Penny's tone now sounding angry and agitated.

'I'm not saying anything else without my lawyer.' Brooks decided.

'Right well in that case Mr Brooks I'll go and see what your sister has to say. We've got her in the room next door.' Penny replied as she shot up from the seat and towards the door.

'Wait! Leave Sammy out of it; she had nothing to do with it.' Brooks said quickly as he stood up from his chair.

The team standing in the observation room watched in awe as the young probationary agent was about to get a full confession from their suspect. As they looked on the door opened and Jenny joined them, choosing to stand next to Gibbs.

'You looking over my shoulder Director?' He asked in hushed whispers.

'Not exactly Special Agent Gibbs, I heard that you'd brought in a suspect for your Petty Officer's murder, but I'm surprised that you let Penny do the interrogation.' She replied in a matching whisper.

'Well I wanted to see what she can do. And just so you know, you've taught her well.' He complimented as he looked into her eyes. He couldn't help thinking how beautiful she was in the dim light of the observation room, silhouetted by the light from the interrogation room.

Turning his attentions back to the interrogation room he saw Penny perched on the edge of the table, preparing for Brooks confession.

'Marc was a lying cheating bastard and I'm not sorry we shot him. Sam found out he was having an affair, she suspected it for a while but she hadn't realised he'd had a second family with his other woman. Sammy was so cut up about it. We were just going to frighten him off, maybe rough him up a little, but he had a gun.' Brooks explained before being interrupted.

'When you say we who do you mean? You and your sister?' Penny asked.

Brooks sat for a second in silence before Penny slammed her fist against the table, making Brooks jump slightly.

'Who was the other person with you?' She shouted. 'If you don't tell me I will make sure you take the fall for the whole thing, and just so you know it will be on death row. If you help me now I can put in a good word and you might avoid death row, but it all depends on how helpful you are.' She added.

'Our brother Thomas, but he did it in self-defence. Marc pulled out a gun and shot Thomas so he shot three rounds back.' Brooks explained reluctantly.

'Where's your brother now?' Penny asked.

'3229 Lime Tree Avenue, we patched him up the best we could, but he needs proper help.' Brooks said as Penny ran out of the room just as the other agents joined her in the hall.

They all grabbed their gear and ran towards the elevator. Gibbs drove them erratically to their destination before swerving into the driveway.

Each agent pulled out their weapons as they made their way through the house, each shouting 'clear' as they checked each room. Suddenly there was a shout from Tony from the bedroom.

'Boss, I've found him.' He shouted.

The other four agents made their way to where Tony had shouted from, and were dismayed to discover the very pale, lifeless body of Thomas Brooks. Tony checked for a pulse and shook his head at his colleagues.

Gibbs slammed his palm against the wooden door frame in frustration before exiting the room. The other agents began bagging and tagging evidence as Ducky and Palmer arrived twenty minutes after their initial discovery.

Once all the evidence was collected and the body was taken back to autopsy, the team made their way back to base. Their working day was almost over, and it had felt like one long day.

The team all breathed a sigh of relief once they had completed their reports on the arrests and on the investigation. Each agent placed a copy on Gibbs's desk for approval before making their way out of the building. They'd all decided to go for a celebratory drink to celebrate Penny's first week and first arrest. Tony, Ziva and McGee had already headed off to the bar, leaving Penny and Gibbs alone in the bullpen.

Penny was pulling on her bright, lime green jacket as she approached Gibbs.

'Are you going to join us for some drinks?' She asked, flicking her hair out of her collar. 'Or is there maybe someone else you would much rather have drinks with?' She added as she realised he was looking past her at Jenny as she walked down the stairs.

Gibbs didn't reply, but chose to give Penny his famous Gibbs look. Penny smirked, knowing she had touched a nerve.

'You should ask her you know. It'd be nice to see her go out for a change with someone other than a senator or another director. She doesn't do it often enough anymore and I know she's very fond of you.' She explained, choosing to take a less blunt approach just as Jenny joined them.

'Are you good to go Penelepops?' Jenny asked, using her affectionate nickname for her baby sister.

'Yes I am but I'm not coming home. We're going to the Phoenix for a while so I'll be home late.' She said as she kissed her big sister on the cheek and walked towards the elevator, hovering long enough to hear Jenny's conversation with Gibbs.

'Oh well, looks like I'm home alone tonight.' Jenny said a little seductively, but was slightly put out when Gibbs didn't say anything. The silence between them was slightly awkward. 'Well goodnight Jethro.' She said as she turned on her heels and began walking out of the bullpen.

'Err Jen?' Gibbs said quickly as he shot up from his seat and walked towards her. She turned and faced him, waiting for him to continue. 'Look, I know you said there would be no off the job, but… well… would you like to get a drink?' He struggled to ask, which wasn't like him. No other woman made him stammer like that.

Jenny smirked and looked lovingly into his clear blue eyes and felt her heart skip a beat.

'I would love to.' She replied. 'I might even let you buy me dinner.' She added.

They both smiled at each other before Gibbs grabbed his coat and joined her at the entrance to the bullpen. They both turned towards the elevator and he placed his hand in the small of her back, surprised to find it wasn't shrugged off.

It had been an interesting week, and one he wouldn't forget in a hurry, but he was glad to have Penny on his team, glad she had fitted in so well, but most of all he was glad to be in the company of the woman he knew he loved. Who knew what the future had in store.

**Well that's the end of my first story in this series. Thank you to all my reviewers, it really means a lot. Look out for my next story to see what I have in store for Jibbs, but here's a little clue; it involves Abby and Penny and valentines day. **


End file.
